Little Hoppers Hammock Ring Sling review & giveaway!

Alright, I'm about 1 bazillion reviews and giveaways behind. I just had so much going on with my health lately and am on an emotional roller coaster ride. Now winter...yay! :( lol 

Anyway, back in August I co-hosted the Big Latch on and met one of the sweetest mom's ever, the owner of Little Hoppers on Etsy, Kelly Delaney. She was beyond generous and offered me one of her gorgeous hammock ring slings to review.  <3 

I love this ring sling & that's a shocker because when Layla was about 3 months old I ordered one from another etsy seller and just couldn't quite grasp the concept. It had an extra long tail which I thought I would love for nursing but since I'm more worried about smothering my baby with all the extra fabric, it more so just got in my way. 

By the way, most of these are just user error and it was more difficult with a smaller baby, for me anyway! 

So anyway, back to the sling! As soon as Kelly handed over the beautiful sling, she helped me get it on correctly and I fell in love! There wasn't an extra mile of fabric, the rings were strong and secure, there was plenty of butt room for my 20 month old, and it was so so comfy. Something unique about little hoppers slings, there's a pocket on the shoulder for keys, cellphone or money! :) 

Ring slings are great because they're so customizable. From fabric and print to length of the tail and any care giver can wear it because of the adjustablilty! 

"Littler Hoppers hammocks are made of 100% breathable cotton fabric for mommy and babies comfort. They are not too hot to use during the summer months, nor too thin to use when the weather is less than perfect.
The design not pleated for a comfier fit, which allows for more fabric to be fanned across the shoulder and back to displace the babies weight. Also there is a small pocket that is a great space for storing your key, wallet or cell phone."

 If a ring sling is in your future, check out Kelly at Little Hoppers! She also sells Taggy Blankets (Layla has this one & l.o.v.e.s. it) & baby leg warmers!

How about a giveaway? 

Layla's not one to sit still anymore and with our fertility troubles we have decided to put baby #2 on hold till after my husband graduates in July. So, I'm going to giveaway my sling and a taggy blanket to one lucky MMR reader! :) 

To enter you already know the mandatory entry. Must be a MMR follower & leave a comment saying so! :)

Then go toLittle Hoppers and add her to your favorites! +1 entry

Stop by her facebook and thank her for the review at MMR! +2 entries

Tweet and share on facebook this giveaway up to 3x a day! 2entries each *3 hours apart* Make sure to leave your permalink!

Goodluck! I'll choose a winner on November 14 at 11:59pm est.


UPDATE!! Adding an addition week to this giveaway due to this update having an error and not posting. If you use code "MODERN" at little hoppers etsy shop you'll get 20% off! Also, place an order (great gift idea!!) leave the order number for an additional 5 entries!! 
Contest ends Wednesday Nov. 23rd at 11:59 pm est.

My Big Star Chart! Review and Giveaway!

This is a review I'm overly excited about, for many reasons! The Victoria Chart Company contacted me and asked me to review one of their charts & I am so so soo glad that they did. As a Mother of a almost 2 year old I've learned the benefits of bribing my Daughter. Sometimes into behaving, other times into getting into the habit of a routine. Layla just loves loves loves stickers! So when I took a peek at the charts that The Victoria Chart Company offered I was more than happy to have to chance! They offer a wide variety of charts that range for children ages 1+ , school charts and even a really neat credit chart!!

I chose the My Big Star Chart  for Layla since she's only going to be turning 2 November 7th! It's working wonders for her. Especially for getting her to go on the potty, eat her meals and for the times I'm in desperate need of a bribe! The chart comes with four very large sheets of stickers. Two with yellow stars and 2 that have multi-colored smiley faces. The smiley faces help her to pick a favorite color and she's got almost all of them mastered! The package also contains pre-labeled stickers for sharing,being active,using the potty,being good at bedtime, being brave and eating meals. There are even blank labels and a dry erase marker/pen to create your own activity...we often use the one we made for "Did what mommy and daddy asked me to do!" because it's easy for a toddler.  There's a supportive information sheet with tips to get the best results from your child using the reward chart.


Overall, I would highly recommend the Victoria Chart Company's My Big Star Chart for any parent with a young child or toddler! Since rewarding our little girl's good behavior with a sticker that she chooses and she gets to place where it goes, she's so much better and repeating her good behavior and listening to follow directions when bribed! ;)






The Victoria Chart Company was not only kind enough to send me a chart for review, they are also going to give one of my readers the chance to choose their own chart!


BUY IT - With school into it's second month (where I'm from,) now would be an awesome time to reward your kiddos with one of the many charts offered by The Victoria Chart Company. You can order them here!








WIN IT - Usual rule apply- Must be a MMR follower and be at least 18 years of age or older. Must be a Fan of the victoria chart company on Facebook and tell them you entered the giveaway at MMR! (one comment " I'm a MMR follower and I "liked TVCC on Facebook and thanked them!)


Be a fan of MMR on Facebook and let me know you entered! ( one comment )
Place an order and leave your order number (these would make awesome holiday gifts!) and pssst. there's a coupon code on their facebook page!  (5 extra entries, 5 comments!)
Join their mailing list! ( 3 extra entries- 3 comments! )
Follow my blog by email! (one comment!)
Share this giveaway on facebook and twitter- ( up to 5 times a day *at least 3 hours apart* 2 entries per post!) Then come back here and leave the permalink!




This contest is open until 11:59 pm EST. Oct. 20th
Gooodluck! :)

Briar Muse - Eco Friendly Home Fragrance Review & Giveaway!

Fall is offically here whether we're happy about it or sad at how quickly summer flew past us! Now that it's just going to keep getting colder until April comes around again the windows and doors get shut and the house gets stuffy! Good thing for candles! Especially Briar Muse! These eco friendly soy candles are purely 

ahhhhh-mazing! I was sent two candle jars and an easy tart in French Vanilla Bean, Pumpkin Spice and Driftwood (my favorite!) These candles smell awesome! They're made with a wood wick and although I really like the crackling noise and the appeal of the flame the wooden wick provides, one of the candle tins burned a little uneven causing me to not get quite 25 hours out of it. Could have been a fluke and still totally worth it though, they smell like heaven! 

I asked if it would be safe to burn the easy tarts in my scentsy which I loveee and was told that they hadn't tried it! Well I did and I really liked it! :) I even scooped out my pumpkin spice from the candle that burned funny and used that in the scentsy too! Problem solved! 

So happy I don't have to feel guilty burning candles in the house with these eco friendly, safe burning, deeeelious smelling candles! 

Briar Muse was also generous enough to offer a Candle Tin to one lucky MMR reader! 

It's easy to enter!

Mandatory Entries!

Must be a MMR subscriber & Go to Briar Muse and tell me which scent you would pick if you won! (pssst. Driftwood is SO GOOD!)

Extra Entries!

"Like" Briar Muse on Facebook! Thank them and tell em who sent you!

Become a MMR email subscriber

"Like" MMR on Facebook

Good Luck ! 

The contest is open until 11:59 PM EST on Sunday Oct. 9th

EIO Kids Cup review and Giveaway!

With our Daughter's 2nd birthday quickly approaching and nursing now behind us (emergency surgery to blame..sort of!) I'm desperate to get my big girl off the sippy cup and drinking from a regular cup! If you're the parent of a toddler, or were at some point, then you know it's a very tough task to find the perfect training cup without a "sippy" nipple. Teaching our daughter how to sip and not suck has been a very tough task. The EIO Kids Cup is an awesome cup to help ease the transition! I'm super excited to share these with you! 

Kathy, a mother of two was tired of what all bottle/sippy cup mom's are tired of...finding matching valves, nipples and lids for our overflowing piles of plastic drink-ware! After the battle to get the gunk and mold from inside the tiniest valves and digging out sippy cup pieces from her dishwasher, Kathy had enough. She was using 8oz mason jars for her children to drink out of. SAFER and EASIER TO CLEAN! With the help of her husband they created a lid that would fit the inexpensive jars and a silicone sleeve to prevent breaking from a game of pickup! 

...and I'm so glad they did! I love this cup and although Layla is still struggling with getting the hang of the sip and not the suck. She still spills it down her shirt every now and then but these cups are really great. I LOVE how easy they are to clean & I love the little smiley face on the lid to help little ones know they're holding it correctly! :) 

A few very informative FAQ's!

Why is there no valve?

Because research suggests that any child over the age of 1 year SHOULD NOT use a cup with a valve. Sucking from a valve rather than sipping may be detrimental to dental development.  Not to mention valves harbor mold and are easily lost.

*From The Journal of the American Dental Association, Vol. 135, No 3, 387. The American Dental Association does not endorse or support EIO Products, LLC.

Where’s the spout?

You mean the bit young children chew?  Spouts encourage suckling rather than the natural motion of sipping. Plus, researchers have determined that spouts with valves can be detrimental to dental development.

*From The Journal of the American Dental Association, Vol. 135, No 3, 387. The American Dental Association does not endorse or support EIO Products, LLC

So it’s not spill proof?

Neither is a plate, but we teach our children to use it. EIO encourages healthy habits and seeks to teach children mealtime skills. 

*** I LOVE THAT LAST ONE!***

EIO Kids Cups sent me this product to review and is also going to give one lucky MMR reader an EIO Kids cup as well! 

To Enter!! 

Mandatory- You must be a MMR subscriber (Leave a comment telling me so!)

Go to EIO Kids Cup and tell me one thing you learned and which color you would choose if you won! :) SIMPLE!

Extra entries!

 "Like" EIO Kids Cup on Facebook! Thank them and tell em who sent you!

Subscribe to her YouTube Channel! 

Subscribe to MMR by email (top right) 

Contest will end at 11:59pm EST on Oct. 8

Goodluck! 

Let's make a baby! :)

.. Or at least try! I'm going to attempt to make YouTube vlogs following our TTC/pregnancy journey for a second baby! I hope you'll watch!!


Here's our first attempt at a video...excuse the appearance, I just finished nap-time! Here it is on Youtube ->TTC Baby #2!

Blog Blast Round 3..Ready for take off!

I am uber excited to be a part of Blog Blast for round 3! I had such success with round 2 and welcome all my new followers! Thank you to Ashley for putting such a fun bloggy event together! 

This round is just like last time, but if you're new and don't know the deets.. here they are!

Blog Blast is YOUR shot at $200 paypal cash!! 

Below is a Rafflecopter widget with all the hosts links to enter! It's so easy, do as little or as many as you like, (obviously the more you do the better your odds!) Most hosts have other awesomeness going on so check them out!

Contest is open WORLDWIDE & Ends at 12:01 am September 27th!

Here is a list of participating blogs: 

Freckleberry Finds

The Home Economist

Ramblings of a Christian Mom

The Flower Hazard

Simple-Homemaking

Planet Weidknecht

We are All in This Together

Modern Mama Reviews 

inRandom

Susie B. Homemaker

Fabulous Finds

Generations of Savings

Mommies Point of View 

Adventures of Frugal Mom

Frugal on the Cheap

Ta-Ta Tents Nursing Cover review!

T

I know in my recent posts I've mentioned how I'm not always a cover user, but this cover is simply amazing! I used another cheapy cover when my daughter was first born and used it when I was around my husband's side of the family. Oh!! How I wish I had known of Ta-Ta Tents! 

These are one of the biggest nursing covers on the market, with dimensions of 66cm H x 91cm W & not only that but during our Big Latch On event, I had a chance to touch and try on a couple other covers and not one of them was made out of the stretchy material that Ta-Ta Tents has.  "Need a place for the pacifier?  Nursing pads?  Nipple Cream?   Lipstick?  Bubblegum?  Tylenol?  Whiskey?  Picture of your loving husband?  Ativan? Our front pocket ensures you can store what ever you need EASY! " <-- Took that from their Store, cause it's catchy and made me laugh! 

 They have 5 prints available. I was sent the soccer mom print and I LOVEE it. It's super cute and really soft.  I only wish they had even more patterns to choose from but here's another fav! See how BIG?!

**Ok, so I had photos of me using this at the park with my daughter, but she totally dropped my memory card in water. So, I had to re-do it and she was a crabby patty, so I'm "nursing" a dolly! ;) But wanted to give you an idea of how big this really is!

Once again, toddler soaked memory card and I needed to do this in a jiffy, sorry for the muteness ;)